NGC Slabbed Darkside on E-bay

[JamminJ]

Probably the last batch for the year so none of the good stuff is held back.

 

Some highlights...

 

 

 

 

 

[chinook]

That Austria coin is pretty. What is something like that worth?

[gmarguli]

That Austria coin is pretty. What is something like that worth?

 

It's a stunner (I've seen it in person) and I'm high bidder on it right now. White, that coin is probably a $125-$150 coin. With that color - which is NOT common on these coins, probably double that.

[JamminJ]

That Austria coin is pretty. What is something like that worth?

 

It's a stunner (I've seen it in person) and I'm high bidder on it right now. White, that coin is probably a $125-$150 coin. With that color - which is NOT common on these coins, probably double that.

 

Sounds about right to me.

[Here]

There's a lot of fun in foreign. I mean Darkside.

 

 

 

Jerry

[EZ_E]

 

 

 

 

James, just got it! Very, very nice and the first of its kind in my collection. Very sweet, quarter-sized coin with awesome color!

 

Could you give me a little history on it, i.e. silver composition, what is 3K equivalent to? And what the heck is Leopold's nickname? I just went blank. Thanks for filling me in.

 

You are always first class and honorable! I have the same confidence in dealing with you as I do with Mark Feld.

[JamminJ]

 

 

 

 

James, just got it! Very, very nice and the first of its kind in my collection. Very sweet, quarter-sized coin with awesome color!

 

Could you give me a little history on it, i.e. silver composition, what is 3K equivalent to? And what the heck is Leopold's nickname? I just went blank. Thanks for filling me in.

 

You are always first class and honorable! I have the same confidence in dealing with you as I do with Mark Feld.

 

Leopold's nickname was "hogmouth". He suffered from mandibular prognathism (oversized jaw) - you can actually witness the progress of the disease as he ages on the coinage.

 

He was Holy Roman Emperor, nominal sovereign of all of Germany but in practice ruler of just the provinces he ruled by hereditary right: Austria, Hungary & Bohemia. He ruled from 1658-1705 and the main events of his reign were wars with the Turks, wars against Louis XIV's France, and wars against his nominal vassels the German & Hungarian princes usually over his desire to crush protestantism.

 

Your coin is a 3 kreuzer or groschen equivilent to 1/24 of a thaler (equivilent to a Spanish 8 reals). At the time a thaler 22.25 grams of pure silver so an honest 3k would contain 0.925 grams of silver. However, at the time lots of games were being played especially with minor coinage so who really knows the fineness but its propbably not too high.

 

Breslau is one of the more common mints for these types of coins, located in current day Poland but part of Austria then. Mostly these come white (obviously dipped, mainly for hoards) and color like this one's is rather unsual. I have three of these coins in my collection, all white and one each in NGC MS63, 64 and 65 holders.

 

They were struck with roller dies where a strip of silver is fed between two rollers with the designs etched into them. Afterwards the coins were clipped out with snips explaining why they're are curved and often come with missing pieces. Because they are so crudely made it's easy to pick uncirculated coins from non specialist dealers for XF prices.

 

Anything else?

[EZ_E]

Thank you, James. That answers all of my questions plus some. The history of a coin is one of the most captivating aspects of numismatics (or anything else for that matter). That is why marketers will add a story onto a "trinket" and suddenly makes it marketable.

 

This coins speaks for itself as far as eye-appeal goes but I much prefer to know the details and not to remain on the "darkside" of knowledge.

 

Very well written summary, BTW.

 

Thanks again kind sir.

 

Vic

 

p.s. I would never have guessed that the planchet was clipped.

Someone knew their stuff back then.

 

p.p.s. What does "SHS" mean after the 1670 date on the slab.

[JamminJ]

p.p.s. What does "SHS" mean after the 1670 date on the slab.

 

Mintmaster's initials. Full name: Salomon Hammerschmidt.

[EZ_E]

p.p.s. What does "SHS" mean after the 1670 date on the slab.

 

Mintmaster's initials. Full name: Salomon Hammerschmidt.

 

You numismatic god, you!

 

I'll call you the Numu-Guru!

 

Is Salomon Hammerschmidt any kin to John Jacob?

[JamminJ]

p.p.s. What does "SHS" mean after the 1670 date on the slab.

 

Mintmaster's initials. Full name: Salomon Hammerschmidt.

 

You numismatic god, you!

 

I'll call you the Numu-Guru!

 

Is Salomon Hammerschmidt any kin to John Jacob?

 

You should call me "owner of a Krause catalog"